Question of the Week: 104 - 3/24/2003Have You Changed Your Mind About the War in Iraq?Many people were initially for or against the possibility of a war in Iraq. Now that it is a reality and troops are on the ground, have you changed your mind or your position on the war?

Do you think that anti-war protests should cease? Do you think that an even greater divide has opened up between those who hold differing ideologies?

Do you think that the suspension of certain civil liberties for security reasons is appropriate during war time? Do YOU feel safer? Will the world be more secure because of this action?

i havent changed a jot in my opinion about this war. i dont care how fast it is, i dont care how many lives are spared, i dont care if saddam hussein is a "bad guy"-- it is utterly morally wrong, and i am sorry i have seen the day this country became an unprovoked aggressor in a war against a third world country that oh, just happens to sit on a really big oil field.

i do not feel any safer-- if anything i feel less safe, but not from terrorists or iraq-- i feel less safe from my own government, which is approaching a total eradication of the ideals this country stands for.

people should continue to dissent and protest. just because a war started does not mean you shut up and stop thinking because it might effect the troops. if we really support our troops we dont want them engaged in this kind of nightmare to begin with. this has nothing to do with the troops, and incidentally, most of the soldiers who returned from vietnam never heard s**t from anyone-- the spitting and namecalling were isolated incidents that the administration is really happy to blow out of proportion in order to paint all protestors and peace activists with the same hateful brush. if we support the troops we will protest the war, because the best thing one can do with an army is NEVER USE IT. the idea that we all have to get in line and back the president or else we are those few angry hippies who called soldiers babykillers is absurd. [one more thing-- quite a few civilians WERE murdered by our troops in vietnam, so its not like the emotion was far fetched or anything. it just wasnt a very constructive emotion. it missed the point entirely and took it out on the wrong people. kinda like the hate i have seen poured out on people exercising their constitutional right to free speech and political dissent really misses the point, which is without debate and dissent and the right to do it we dont have a free country and there is really no point to the rule of law.]

this illegitimate presidency has wrought a terrible thing in an attempt to secure oil futures for its supporters, and to secure the next election. the worst thing we could do is to stop protesting. when the war is over protests should continue.

For one, I am for the war as our only resort to aid the people under the dictatorship of Iraq and consequently that which they have been enduring for too many generations. Imagine, if you will, living in a dictatorship patriarchically controlled to such an extreme that what you think could cost you and your family their lives? Islam is a beautiful religion, as I feel all religions are. However, when anything is interpreted to an extreme, the inverse of it purpose is more probable than possible. And the proportion which can and has in the past manifested can be so volatile as to create an unhealthy environment for a country to prosper in all aspects.

Further, I also feel the war our country has waged with Iraq has many facets in its intention. To be more specific the war is dedicated to erasing terrorist beliefs and actions against the United States INCLUDING the rest of the world. To forget this is to lose focus on humanity. Oil may be the Bush factor, indeed, but we must remember other nations' approval whether they make this a public notice or not. No one, I don't care what race, creed or spiritual path you follow wants to see terrorism inflicted on others. However we cannot deny the fact that a democracy as the most credible governmental structure in this century, based on the fact that other nations have welcomed our method, pure and simple.

For example, we cannot forget Usama bin Laden's connection to the Taliban and the control it exerted over Afghanistan. This country had an established government of which the Taliban took over and instilled policies that forbade women and children from everything including READING & WRITING!!! Educated women who were doctors, judges and attorneys were banned from practice, became homeless overnight, lying in the streets, begging for change with which they could only do while covered with a burka from head to toe! Our military single-handedly controlled and eradicated the Taliban and drove them out of office while reinstating the President of Afghanistan along with their former government. Women and children are permitted an education and to work, like everyone else now -- they are a liberated people.

We must remember that within any point of view, either religiously or spritually we have a majority group who always seem to have more influence over the masses; but also within the masses are a minority who always seem to take the rap from outside groups who, for whatever reason, seem to think the groups' beliefs as a whole are homogenous. This is the furthest from the truth. This is what taints our opinions and convolutes our judgements in helping oppressed nations. For pete's sake, we are the most powerful country in the world! If not to use this to help others in need, than for what?

My point here is that without war we have no peace. For how are we to distinguish what is peace without the experience of war? What right do we have to decide, as humans are limited beings, to be so foolish as to think we know exactly what war is? Or peace for that matter? We should be grateful to those we believe in for what we have and who we are. We should be thankful to everything around us including the negative and embrace it without prejudice or malice so as to teach us and help us learn the ways of the world...for life is cyclical after all.

If I'm walking down the street and see children picking on another, I walk up and butt in, trying to help the child under torment.

If I'm the first on the scene of a car accident, I stop and offer assistance.

If I see a mother/father abusing their child, I demand they stop and give them a verbal tongue lashing.

If I see a man physically abusing a woman, I step in by calling the police.

If I have a friend that needs help, I will give him/her the shirt off of my back.

I have put myself in danger before to help someone that is in need of help. I am 4'11" and very unassuming, but do not mess with me, because I will take proper channels to protect people in need. I am not violent, but we live in a violent society.....we always have, we are human, and that is human nature. Sure, it would be nice if everyone could get along, but you know that is a dream. I live in this reality, not the fairytale most live in. And for those who think they are "morally superior" because they are against the war, just listen to the FACTS, clear your head, think straight and try not to be so dramatic. It really upsets me when people think we have no right to be there, helping the Iraqi's. What do you do, tune out the "icky" things you hear about Saddam's Regime???? We are stronger, we need to make a sacrifice. Stop protesting and volunteer your time to help others instead of blocking traffic and becomming a nightmare for police who are only trying to protect and serve.

The war in Iraq was supposed to be a get in, get out, force Saddam to let go type of thing. That was in 1991, when it actually had a point. Now, it is a point of honor between father and son. Bush senior couldn't force Hussein out during his presidency, and when Clinton took over the reins, the war came to an end. This angered many Americans, but they accepted the peace that followed.Then, September 11 happened. The world got up in an uproar, with good reason, but they lost sight of the real people responsible. Saddam might have allowed these men to live in his country, the material they used and money they spent may have come from his country, but he was not directly responsible, and his people are being punished.George W. is fulfilling the wish his father made during his last days in office, and because the memories of September 11 are still sore in everyone's mind, he is using that to blame the Muslim people in general, and Saddam Hussein in particular for the events of that day. He has given up on the hunt for Al Qaeda and bin Laden. He has lost sight of the real reason behind the terror attacks.Bush is using the fear and righteous anger we all feel, and using it to finish what his father could not. Nothing more, nothing less. He is bringing down WW3, and he doesn't even care.Just look at what he said the protest groups that said not to war were. "Using the opinions of those protesters would be like using the opinions of a focus group to decide world policy." Does that sound like a President that cares about the American people? I think not.I support the men and women dying over there, but I wholeheartedly oppose the reason they are there in the first place.

I think that Bush has gone too far. This is only a war to spread his control over the world and set things up so he can control things even when not in office. Although I see why some would want to go to war after 9/11, this will only escalate the conflict. It was not a last resort as some claim. Bush went ahead without the UN's approval. More than half of the world is against going to war and still Bush refuses to negotiate. That is my point of view.

I think the war is not a way to end problems between countries, the opposite it makes countries angry and causes future problems.Just now a illegal war has began which started the USA by saying that it was to finish with terrorism but which had other secret arrengments like them wanting the petrol.The population is paying for it and lots of people are dying.The allies are not being reasonable and in some countries like Spain, the president and his party is not listening to the people which say that they don´t want a war.This is causing lots of peaceful movements which lately are not that peaceful.People should be able to express their thoughts against war but the problems lately are causing that lots of people to stop going because they are afraid to be hurt in this movements.Aznar listen to your country!!!NO WAR PLEASE.

I forgot to respond to the last part of the question, and that is whether I believe it is appropriate to suspend certain civil liberties for increased safety. Let me quote to you one Benjamin Franklin, of Benjamin Franklin fame. He said "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." And there is nothing that I can say that is superior to that. there is no reason to be giving up any liberties for any reason. The fallacy that we need to do so now because of the threat of terrorism and to increase the information gatherin capacity of the government, my response to that is that the government was not able to use the information that it had, why drown it with more? It had information about potential attacks, that could be legally used and would probably have stopped 9/11, but did not use it. The government is incompetent to protect us with all of our liberties in place, suspending those will only increase our danger.Thank you

but that dosn't mean I can't still oppose it. I'll say it once more, I Hate War, I hate the wasting of peoples lives for ficticious reasons, I Hate...well I hate alot of things about this war. But I can't do anything by hating these things, I still do feel this way, and undoubtably with feel this way until Mr. Bush puts a stop to this nonsense, but, we've started into it..yes I know, we all still bitch and moan (well atleast those of us with the courage to do so.) But where is that getting us? Nowhere! Right now, those out on the streets picketing and jamming up traffic, could be supporting our soldiers!! It is not their fault they are over there, they wanted to serve the nation they grew up in, they wanted to protect the place where millions of our fellow Americans have started up lives of their own! Where, supposedly, we are all equal and free. Who wouldn't want to preserve a nation whose foundations conjoin all of the other nations of the world...When you come here, you are a part of ONE nationality, Be you: Latin American, African American, Chinese, Japanese, Cuban, Canadian...Afgani...once you are here, and a citizen, you're a citizen. Lately, with all the Anti-War, Pro-War politics going on, we've become a divided nation. But, lets face it, AMERICA IS AT WAR, nothing can stop it now, we've gone and pissed EVERYBODY off. Excuse me for laughing, but this could have all been avoided, if a certain Bush Sr. had only finished off when it was first a problem. Our nation's children, are going to war..we don't know how many will return, they go over, and they fight for what they are told to fight for. They fight Freedom, they fight for Bush, they fight for every single person back here at home. Please people, we can't stop the war at this point...so, while they're over across the ocean fighting for us, lets support them, instead of condeming them. Do what you can; visit someone whose son, daughter, wife, husband, or other family member is fighting for us, show them that you are proud of our nation's army...the war may not be for the best reasons in the world, but atleast our soldiers are fightng it for good ones.

I am truly sad that this war is happening. I wish there was another way to get him out but nevertheless, he needs to go. When those first prisoners of war got taken and video taped, I had a song stuck in my head by avril lavigne and the lyrics would haunt me because all I could see was how scared the woman of that group (Army Spc. Shoshana Johnson) was and how much torment she was in. The whole song reflected this war to me from a POW perspective "isn't there anyone trying to find me? won't somebody come take me home.... take me by the hand take me somewhere new, I don't know who you are but I'm with you." I held her in healing light and cried with her, hoping and praying someone would find her and rescue her. That tore me apart. I will not let her death be in vein.

We saw sandstorms placed in the troops way that were getting worse and worse the closer to baghdad they got. They have since moved on and clear skies and high pressure has set in so that the troops can finish their jobs. They have said the response has been unexpected but there is enough evidence to support that unexpected could mean unexpexted either way. It is still up in the air.

I wish that I had been wrong about governments lying but I am afraid no matter how just and how noble you believe your government to be, there will always be stuff that your government does that you won't like. As a free society and government, your opinion is never the only one considered. there are many countries that are supporting the US and we stopped the ground force untill those forces can be re-allocated and supplied, or so I suspect, we have 4-6 days. This is OUR time to unite as one force to make this war (now that it is in full swing) as quick as possible by surrounding our troops (now that it has come out that other countries have been in this with us the whole time even though their governments deny it publicly) in protective light, guard the children, and make those who are carrying these horrible acts of the regime out more easily spotted.

I think war is horrible but inevitible. What did these protestors think that Bush should do, lay back and let him walk all over us, and inevitably bomb us? No, no one wants to do that. I feel the same way about it as I did in the beginning. I actually feel they should have gone in sooner and gotten it over. I think the protesting should stop, it's rediculous. What do they think they are proving by burning the flag, it has no feelings and we can just make more, no big deal. The vomitting and deficating protestors, what was that? Is our world not dirty enought that they have to add to it.

I think the only situation where civil liberties should be taken away in war time is when a bioweapon has been released and needs to be quarantined. Something like smallpox would be have to be quarantined of course, and people would freak and thats when you loose your rights. When something like smallpox has to be stopped.

I don't know that I ever had a definite position on the issue of war with Iraq. Since the beginning I've been conflicted and confused about the whole thing. On the one hand, as a peace loving person I don't believe violence (especially war) can solve anything. On the other hand Saddam is using violence on his own people to prepare weapons that can hurt and kill even more people. It is obvious this man puts little or no value on human life. Thus, something must be done about this tyrant.

However (and I think I may have stated this before in another post) , I do and will continue to sorrow for all the dead, dying and injured people and soldiers in this war on both sides. This is man versus his own terrible nature and nothing is worse and more terrifying than confronting our dark side. In that way I am against this war. In the other way we must remove Saddam because he is the modern Hitler. Imagine if the Nazis had won WW2!

I don't think the anti-war protests should stop. The people have a right to be heard by their government because this is a government for the people, by the people. Also we are given the right to free speech in this country so let free speech reign. Unfortunately, at this stage I don't believe peace protests will change anyone's mind. As long as no one is hurt in these protests then they are ok because they express legitimate concerns of a large majority of people.

There is a rift forming between people of different ideologies. It is much like the Vietnam war protests. But like all rifts, when the war is over, this one will heal.

I would not care to give up my civil liberties like freedom of speech etc. because this nation is all about freedom. would we be safer without free speech during war time... I don't believe so. I think the government would feel more secure but it would only cause inner strife and separate even further those for and against the war.

My biggest concern with the war in Iraq is that other countries in the area will side with Iraq enough to cause WW3. Armageddon is a possible outcome of this war and it is the most frightening aspect that our government chooses to overlook this is wanting to police the entire planet.

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